Feb. 21: Kobe Bryant, Snoop Dogg Head to Hall of Game

Happy Presidents Day, everyone.

This weekend was an awfully busy one at Santa Monica Patch. Columnist Gary Kavanagh a highly informative, compelling piece about road safety in SM; family and friends the life of Thelma Parks, one of the city's unsung heroes; Eddie Greenberg, the former maintenance supervisor of the promenade, the environmental measures taken into account by the crew; SM Patch's Megan Reilly some of the best places to grab frozen yogurt in town; and member Catherine Myman-Kaplan food trucks for the latest installment of Great Escape and a new edition of our Grab & Go Kids Planner.

Additionally, we the SMMUSD Board of Education passing a layoff measure; pictures from Heal the Bay's "Whale of a Weekend," held at the aquarium; last week in photo form; and to suggest ways to help make the streets of Santa Monica safer.

Also this weekend, 's girls basketball squad beat Laguna Hills on Saturday, advancing to the quarterfinals in the CIF playoffs. And held a special event to mark the reopening of the Howard Keck Center; a patient reunion was staged as part of the celebration, which took place Sunday.

One more thing before we get started with today's SM AM Report: Many thanks to Santa Monica Patch reader Renee Rendler-Kaplan for contributing the photo you see above. If you have an early-morning pic you'd like to share, drop a note to Kurt.Orzeck@patch.com.

Weather Forecast

• partly cloudy
• high temperature: 59 degrees
• low temperature: 43 degrees
• chance of precipitation: 10 percent
• sunrise: 6:32 a.m.
• sunset: 5:44 p.m.

The Main Event

• Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk hosts the first-ever Cartoon Network Hall of Game Awards at Barker Hangar. The show starts at 1 p.m., with Kobe Bryant, George Lopez and Snoop Dogg also expected to attend. Cartoon Network will broadcast the event on Friday from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The Runner-Up

• hosts a two-hour dance lesson led by master Christian Oviedo, along with DJ Charley, from 8 to 10 p.m. It costs $5 to participate in , which happens every Monday night.

Other Happenings

• Due to the holiday, the rest of the events we're spotlighting today also happen on a weekly basis: takes place at at 10 a.m.; enthusiasts meet at the from 1 to 3 p.m.; and will be held at the same venue from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Last but Not Least

• Schools, libraries and the post office are closed today, in light of the holiday. Also, the normally scheduled meetings for the Arts Commission and Architectural Review Board have been canceled.
  

(Go here for more events happening today.)

This Day in Santa Monica History

• On Feb. 21, 2009, the Independent Spirit Awards ceremony was held in Santa Monica. “The Wrestler” and Mickey Rourke were the night's big winners. This year, the awards show returns to SM; it will be held Saturday.

City News Service contributed to this report.